Raz
Raziya O'Quinn is a human with an interest in the occult and a rather hypnotic power. Background Raziya O'Quinn has no fully formed memory of her mother, though she does have a vague notion of what her voice sounded like. Instead, most of her memories are made up of traveling around the world with her father, archeologist and paranormal report, Donald O'Quinn. He taught her the history of the world as they traveled around the world, especially informing her of the Egyptian background she inherited from her absent mother. She also was trained to always wear a pair of sunglasses, as she was told her eyes were especially sensitive to the light. While this always seemed odd to the young girl, she adored her father and always did as he said. She found her life exciting, if slightly dangerous, and most of "Raz"'s happiest memories come from this period of her life. Sadly, it wasn't to last; her father went missing just as her mother had, leaving Raz effectively an orphan. After losing her father, Raz moves in with her grandparents. While she wasn't traveling around the world anymore to exotic locations, she did continue her studies in the occult world. During her studies, she found a picture of her mother in the only known photograph of a secretive cult known as the Fellowship of Wadju. The sect was small, secretive, and were said to be worshipers of an ancient demonic force. But as Raz's father always told her, that couldn't be the complete story, and that she needed to dig deeper. Personality Curious: Raz was taught at a young age to take nothing at face value, to always dig deeper. This has made her a very good, if occasionally reckless, investigator and has served her general goal of studying the secrets of the occult. She is always searching for the truth, especially when the truth doesn't necessarily want to be found. She is always one to question, study or perhaps linger just a bit too long, puzzling over something until the missing piece in her mind clicks. Loner: Raz doesn't like to feel dependent on anyone else, preferring to solve her problems herself. This is partially a function of espionage, and partially her general skepticism of others; relying on anyone else makes her vulnerable to being betraryed, and in her line of work she can't risk that. Gaining her trust and loyalty can be incredibly difficult. Of course she's not exactly forthright with that; several people might consider themselves close pal with Raz, when she merely sees them as unwitting pawns. Cynic: Raz doesn't have a very positive outlook on the world, often assuming the worst and allowing herself to be plesantly surpirsed when things aren't as bad as she thought. She is constantly looking for the angle someone might be playing, and suspects motives and hidden agendas in every seemingly benign motion. Of course, sometimes her cynicism doesn't serve her quite so well, but she has found as a survival mechanism, it gets the job done. Manipulative: Raz's view of the world is less relational so much as deceptive. She sees people as tools for her to use, pushing across the chess board for her own schemes and plans. She doesn't do it maliciously, not really; she simply sees little use in human attachment, and every use in pushing and pulling people to get what she wants and needs. Powers Raz was blessed shortly after birth to cause minor hypnotic suggestion by looking in a subject's eyes. The suggestions cannot change or overcome the core beliefs and principles of her target, but they can make seemingly minor commands. This includes causing small emotional suggestions ("Cheer up," "Calm down," or "Get serious"), requesting small favors ("Can you hand me that," "Sip your water," or "Walk away") or getting truthful response to questions that might garner lies in regular circumstances ("Who do you work for?" "What's in the envelope?" "Are you really human?"). The ability is always, and only, in effect when she makes eye-to-eye contact with a target. She makes a habit of wearing sunglasses, which block the effect from taking place when she doesn't want it to. Skills Raz was raised by her father, who taught her about the hidden world of the occult, a passion she has continued to explore. She has since become an expert in ritual magick and paranormal phenomenon. Her particular interest has also given her insight into ancient history, as even most contemporary magick societies and practices can trace their history back to antiquity and pre-history. Her father also trained her in the ability to research and discover hidden information, giving her sharp investigative skills. Since being recruited by the paranormal-operations organization known as Black Air, Raz has received extensive training befitting an espionage agent. This includes firearms and martial arts training, as well as use of advanced technology specifically designed for espionage. She also has become a master of disguise, not just for her appearance, but also her body language, voice and demeanor. She is an excellent driver, able to escape in high-stakes car chases. She is able to read people exceptionally well, knowing when they're hiding information and when they are trying to play her against the odds, and how to get what she wants while giving up as little as possible. She is able to speak English, Arabic, Ancient Egyptian (including reading hieroglyphs), Irish-Gaelic and Japanese. She is a classically trained pianist, with a personal interest in jazz and ragtime. Boons As a member of the paranormal investigation organization Black Air, Raz is afforded a certain level of security and access to classified information. She has been given several false identities, including paperwork to match. She has several contacts across the world associated with Black Air, including one primary handler she only knows as Barber that feeds her relevant information. She is also well equipped, both with low-to-mid grade firearms, highly advanced smart phones with technology five years out from commercial availability, a high-performance vehicle that is insured in case of "unforeseeable accidents" and a safehouse apartment in her location of engagements, currently New York City. She also makes an impressive salary, though nothing unreasonable for the risks she puts herself into. Flaws Deep Cover: Due to the sensitive nature of her subject and Black Air's generally denied existence, Raz has to be very careful who she talks to and what she says. There is very little room for a social life, to say nothing of having regular friends. To add to this issue, she has several identities that she cycles through to keep her true life hidden. This makes it very difficult for her to live anything resembling a normal life, and means that she has to be very careful to not let anyone know too much. Expendable: A large part of why Raz needs to keep a deep cover is because she needs to avoid being "burned" by her organization. Black Air has worked very hard to keep their identity and existence out of the headlines, to say nothing of the delicate nature of their work. If Raz is considered a security risk, she will be let go by the organization as quickly as possible. This burn could run the gamut from being a restriction or complete withdrawal of resources and support, to an open call for other Black Air agents and friendly agencies to "eliminate" the risk she embodies. Obsessive: Part of Raz's job and passion is uncovering the truth, pulling back layers of obfuscation until the truth has been revealed. The problem is, of course, that sometimes her digging can uncover conspiracies and forces more powerful than she can deal with on her own, or even with her fellow agents. Her obsessiveness won't allow her to leave well enough alone, but her general need to know the core truth has a habit of getting her into trouble. Of course, she'll often only figure this out only after unleashing the unnameable horror from the depths of a nearby hell. SOL Inc.: To the casual observer, SOL Inc. is a international conglomerate investment firm with ties to most financial markets in the world, providing a firm monetary backbone to most major industries. In reality, they are a loose affiliation of solar-worshiping cultists that can trace their roots all the way back to ancient Memphis in Egypt. Throughout history SOL has been in struggle with the Fellowship of Wadju, a group that used similar magickal arts. While most of the Wadju have been silenced, a single final members of the Fellowships still exists: Raziya O'Quinn. As such, she is seen as enemy number one for this major network of powerful men. While they cannot openly endanger her in fear of implicating their own company for its true nature, they also are not above sending their own agents to counter-act Raz's actions, especially when they openly contradict their own desires. Sunglasses: When not using her hypnotic gaze, Raz has worn a pair of sunglasses her entire life. This has been to keep her from abusing her abilities, but also has made her eyes especially sensitive to sun and other lights. It also can make her stick out in a crowd, especially if she's trying her best to blend in. Logs Including Raz Category:Original Character